Manchego and quince tart

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
• 150g vegetarian Manchego or Manchego-style cheese, finely grated or thinly sliced
• 100g quince paste, or membrillo
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 small red onion, very finely sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Soften the onion

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced red onion with a small pinch of salt and cook gently for 10–12 minutes until soft, sweet and starting to turn golden at the edges. This wants patience rather than enthusiasm. Properly softened onion will sit very happily with the cheese and quince later.

2. Get the pastry ready

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Unroll the puff pastry onto a lined baking tray and score a border around the edge, roughly 2cm in, taking care not to cut all the way through. Prick the middle lightly with a fork so it stays reasonably level while the border puffs up around it.

3. Make the base

Mix the crème fraîche with the Dijon mustard, half the thyme and a good grind of black pepper. Spread it over the middle of the pastry, staying inside the border, then scatter over the softened onion.

4. Add the Manchego and quince

Scatter or arrange most of the cheese over the onion. Cut the quince paste into thin slices or small pieces and dot it evenly across the tart, then finish with the remaining cheese and thyme.

Try to spread the quince around rather than leaving it in great sweet lumps. It is there to bring a rich, fruity contrast, not take over the entire conversation.

5. Bake until golden

Brush the pastry border with the beaten egg, then bake for 22–28 minutes until the pastry is puffed and deeply golden, the cheese has melted and the quince is softened and glossy.

Keep an eye on the edges towards the end. Puff pastry has a habit of looking pale for ages before suddenly deciding it has somewhere else to be.

6. Let it settle

Take the tart out of the oven and leave it to stand for 5 minutes before slicing. This gives the cheese and quince a chance to settle slightly and makes the whole thing considerably easier to serve.

7. Serve

Slice and serve warm, with a sharply dressed green or bitter-leaf salad alongside if you like. The tart is rich, salty and gently sweet, so something fresh and peppery makes a very good companion.

A couple of helpful notes
- Traditional Manchego can be made with animal rennet, so check the label and choose one specifically marked as suitable for vegetarians.
- Quince paste is intensely flavoured, so a little goes a surprisingly long way. Keep the pieces thin and evenly distributed.
- The tart is also very good at room temperature, which makes it useful for lunches, picnics or cutting into smaller pieces for drinks.